G-Spot: STDs and STIs
Image via assistant photo editor Mollie Wadhams
It has been ingrained in our brains since as early as elementary school: don’t get an STD or STI. But what childhood health classes fail to explain to us is the variety of treatment, types, and resources available to us when regarding STDs/STIs.
The acronym STD stands for Sexual Transmitted Diseases. STDs start out as STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and eventually turn into diseases caused by having unsafe and unprotected sex. One can get an STD/STI from not only penetrative sex, but also from anal and oral sex. STDs/STIs are also a lot more common than people let on, making it incredibly important to know about what to do if you end up getting an STD.
STDs are transmitted in a variety of different ways; by ejaculation or body fluids, by skin-to-skin contact, or by bacteria build ups and infections.
So how do you make sure you don’t get an STD/STI while having sex? Firstly, you should always use protection, such as condoms or dental dams, while having sex, especially with a new partner. While birth control like the pill or arm implant protects against pregnancy, these methods of contraception do not stop you from getting an STI. It is also important to make sure your genitals are clean and symptomless. Symptoms that are a sign that you might have an STD include genital warts, itching, strange discharge, painful peeing, and pain on your lower belly or testicles.
You should also get tested between sexual partners. STIs can often be symptomless, and most people don’t know that they have and are spreading them. Getting tested between partners allows for you to confidently know you have not received and will not give a STI. Most doctors recommend that college students get tested at least every 12 months, if not more.
Now, if you do end up getting an STI or STD, do not worry. Most STDs are easy to treat and are not life threatening. Plus, getting tested for an STD/STI is fairly easy—SUNY Geneseo offers testing at the wellness center, as well as a quiz to help students know if they need to get tested.
If you think or find out you have had sex with someone who has an STI, the first thing to do is get tested. If you test positive, notify any sexual partners that you might have infected. Though this conversation is probably something you want to avoid, notifying any partners you might have infected is incredibly important to stop the spreading of an STI.
Always go to a doctor for treatment and follow the treatment instructions rigorously. Most STIs are nothing to worry about, but an untreated STI can turn into an STD and lead to infertility, cancer, and sometimes even death.
STDs might seem like something you do not have to worry about, and that is true because of the multitude of ways to effectively keep yourself safe. However, it is important to still have safe sex and get tested if you think you have an STD. If you haven’t been in the last 12 months or since gaining a new partner, now is a perfect time to get tested, just to be safe.
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex/safer-sex
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex/get-tested